270 S/iort Communications : — 



that it never looked up afterwards, but in a few weeks drooped 

 and died. Nothing, however, could be more lively than the 

 survivor of the four : active, elegant, and sprightly, with an 

 eye quick as thought, this little charmer flitted about his 

 cage like a tiny winged mouse, almost too quick for the eye 

 to follow : but, alas ! although he survived the tumults, insults, 

 and civil buffetings of the elections of 1832, he made his 

 peaceful exit previously to the first assemblage of the first 

 reformed parliament, in 1833. As indications of his decline, 

 he began to neglect his person, and omitted several mornings 

 to wash himself in his usual sprightly manner; his feathers 

 became dishevelled, his limbs paralysed, and he drooped and 

 died, in spite of every means used to save him, although in a 

 moderately warm room, and the weather temperate. Thus 

 ended my first experiment : but, if permitted, I will, another 

 season, endeavour to prove the efficacy of vermicelli ; and I 

 have no doubt it will be found completely efficient in rearing 

 young partridges, pheasants, &c, and supersede the necessity 

 and difficulty of obtaining ants' eggs, flies, maggots, &c. 



Thus, Sir, I consider myself the sole inventor of this new 

 succedaneum for rearing and maintaining the British Sylviae; 

 and I have no doubt J. G., of Stoke Newington (Vol. V. 

 p. 309.), would have reared his young reed-warblers had he 

 known of such a receipt ; and future aviaries will now be 

 furnished easily with these little sylvan minstrels, and we may 

 look forward to the probability of the Zoological Gardens 

 possessing specimens of the whole of our British soft-billed 

 summer birds of passage, whose history and emigrations are 

 wrapped in considerable mystery and confusion. 



Swallow (Hirundo rustica). — I caught an old cock-bird of 

 this species, and, after some pains, taught him to eat the ver- 

 micelli, mixed with bread and milk and hemp-seed ; and no 

 alderman of gormandising notoriety could have gulped down 

 with more gust his green fat, than did this feathered epicure 

 his dainty dish set fresh before him every morning. He 

 stuffed voraciously, washed frequently, flew about the aviary, 

 twittered and warbled with as much eclat as if in his original 

 ethereal dominions, and scorned to eat a fly, preferring the 

 composition already mentioned. He sang, and washed, and 

 enjoyed himself till the end of November, but did not moult; 

 but at the end of that month began to droop, and ceased to 

 fly upon his perch, yet ate his food with seeming relish ; but 

 eventually became paralysed, and towards the end of De- 

 cember died. Surely it must be climate which killed him ; 

 for the food seemed highly palatable and gratifying. 



Another season I think that, with the aviary heated with 



